The present invention relates generally to household products and specifically to a collapsible container with handles and a method of making and using such a container for convenient storage and transportation of said items.
A typical household often encounters the need for temporary storage of garments prior to washing or cleaning. Regardless of the place where laundry or cleaning is done, either at home or in a commercial setting, soiled garments need to be sorted, stored, and eventually transported to a designated place. The present invention can be utilized for garment sorting, storage and transportation. At the same time, the present invention can also be used for other purposes, such as storage or transportation of toys or other objects. Accordingly, its use is not to be limited to storage or transportation of soiled garments.
Numerous devices are known in the art to provide effective storage of soiled garments, for example laundry baskets, conventional hampers, or clothing bags. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,625,973 to Weldon et al. teaches a laundry hamper comprising a rectangular frame having upper and lower portions that telescope within one another in a detachable manner. The lower portion includes a base frame, while the upper portion comprises a top frame. A cover is secured by a hinge to the top frame and an outer bag surrounds the rectangular frame. A plurality of small inner bags are provided within the outer bag. U.S. Pat. No. 1,581,888 to Thomas discloses a collapsible receptacle comprising two rectangular wire frames, hingedly secured together, means for holding the frames to form a triangularly shaped structure, and a fabric portion covering the frames and providing an enclosure.
However, all these prior art devices are voluminous in their expanded state, are uneasy to fold or collapse, are still relatively voluminous in their collapsed state, and are difficult to manipulate. The present invention solves the above-mentioned shortcomings and provides a convenient, easy to manipulate, and ergonomic means for storing or transporting garments or other objects.
The present invention relates generally to household products and specifically to a collapsible container and method of making and using the same.
According to the present invention, the foregoing and other advantages are obtained by providing a collapsible container comprising a plurality of side panels and a floor panel forming an enclosure having an open top. In the preferred embodiment, each side panel comprises a flexible continuous loop frame, a web of material, and an edging material. The edging envelops the frame and is coupled to the periphery of the web. The floor panel is attached to the bottom side of each side panel thus forming the container.
In an alternate embodiment, each side panel is attached to a side panel separator, which in turn is connected to the next adjacent side panel. The floor panel is attached to both the bottom side of each side panel and to the side panel separators, thus providing means for holding articles within the container and for supporting the container in its expanded state.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, at least one handle member is coupled to opposite side panels at the open top of the container. Alternatively, the handle may be coupled to only one side panel or may be an aperture formed within one or more of the side panels.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an optional storage pouch may be coupled to one of the side panels at the open top of the container. The present invention is easily collapsed into a compact state and the pouch allows storage of the container in its collapsed, compact state.
In another alternate embodiment, the collapsible container further comprises a divider panel, the divided panel being attached to diagonally opposite edgings of the side panels. In yet another alternate embodiment, the collapsible container further comprises at least two divider panels, preferably arranged substantially parallel to each other and being coupled to opposite side panels to create at least three separate compartments within the container.
A preferred method of manufacturing the collapsible container includes the steps of attaching each handle member to a side of two opposite webs. The edging is next coupled to each web such that the edging surrounds the perimeter of the web and forms a channel or pocket through which the frame will later be inserted. After the requisite number of side panels has been formed, each side of the floor panel is attached to the bottom side of each side panel. Next, a side of each side panel is connected with a side of an adjacent side panel. The frame for each side panel is inserted through the channel formed by each edging. The ends of each frame member are connected, preferably using a crimped butt connector, to give the collapsible container its ability to freely stand in a rigid, expanded, upright state.
An alternate method of manufacturing the collapsible container includes the steps of attaching each handle member to a side of two opposite webs. Coupling the edging to each web such that the edging surrounds the perimeter of the web and forms a channel or pocket through which the frame will later be inserted. After the requisite number of side panels has been formed, each corner of the floor panel is attached to one end of each side panel separator. Next each side panel is connected with one side of the floor panel and with two adjacent side panel separators. The frame for each side panel is inserted through the channel formed by each edging. The ends of each frame member are connected, preferably using a crimped butt connector, to give the collapsible container its ability to freely stand in a rigid, expanded, upright state.
From the expanded state, the container can be folded and collapsed for storage or transportation. The preferred steps of collapsing the container include grasping opposite corners of the floor panel and biasing one corner toward the other until all side panels are adjacent and overlay each other. The container is now partially collapsed but each side panel is still in an expanded state. Next, the handle members and the floor panel are inserted in between any two of the adjacent overlaying side panels. By rotating two opposite corners of the flattened, overlaying side panels in opposite directions while biasing the two corners toward each other, the structure will form three overlaying circular loops folded adjacently. Finally, the three overlaying loops are placed into the storage pouch. The pouch prevents the container from springing back into its fully expanded condition.